GLASTONBURY FESTIVAL INFORMATION
Mon 12th Jan 04
Whatever your drug preference (and let's face it, few people abstain entirely - alcohol is a drug too), moderation is the key. Anything taken to excess is a bad idea - eventually it catches up with you. If you think you are having an adverse reaction to a drug, seek help from someone nearby - even if your drug is illegal, it's much better to be alive! As far as we're aware, medical staff will not report you to the police.
Try not to smoke too much tobacco. For some reason, everyone seems to get the 'Glastonbury cough'.
The amount of alcohol consumed at the Festival seems to be increasing. Pissed people can be anti-social, and worse (compare this to the peaceful demeanour of your average stoned hippie!).
Drugs are no more legal at Glastonbury than anywhere else, and you are subject to the same laws and consequences as elsewhere in the UK. If you are going to take illegal drugs at Glastonbury, don't buy anything from dealers at the Festival - there is a large chance that you won't receive the goods that you think you are paying for, and particularly with chemical substances there is the risk that what you buy could be life threatening.
The Festival is not a good place to experiment with drugs - drugs work by their psycho-active properties, and this means that your perception is altered. Paranoia is a common side effect of recreational drug use, and the crowds can massively add to this.
The police have made big efforts in recent years to crack down on the sale of drugs at the Festival. People DO get busted every year, and the Festival will have offenders thrown off the site and refused re-admission.
For further information about drug (mis)use, check out www.trashed.co.uk - yes, we know it's a govt-run site, but they actually have real information rather than "just say no".
WARNING: it's very possible there will be a heavy police presence (complete with sniffer dogs) at Castle Cary station, and Gloucestershire Police are always active on the M5 (particularly at services). They aim to search Festival go-ers for drugs. This causes considerable delay for some, and inconvenience for others.
'Legal Highs'
They have an effect, but don't expect them to be like the real thing. If they were as good, they would be able to sell under their own names, rather than claim to be substitutes with similar effects.
And, although legal, do yourself and the Festival a favour, and don't take them in full view of everyone. If you don't get detained for an inconvenient amount of time by the old bill (who probably won't take your word for them being legal) then some people will be thinking that drug taking has got out of control, and the reputation of the Festival will suffer as a result.
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